USPS Says More Than 5 Million In The US Collect Stamps

An interesting "DID YOU KNOW" snippet on the USPS News Link website ... I just wonder how the USPS came up with that figure:



What do you think? Do you think there are more or less collectors in the US or is the 5 million figure just about right?

only?

If they define a stamp collector as anyone who has ever saved a stamp, maybe. Between Elvis, Harry Potter, Batman, et. al., there's probably enough fans who have saved a stamp or two to qualify. Most of these people wouldn't even call themselves collectors.

I wonder how many people actually think of themselves as collectors, as good a measure as any. I'd guess the number to be half or a quarter of that. Another way we could measure it is to ask how many people have purchased at least one stamp in the last 12 months for the purpose of adding to or starting a collection. Again, I think the number is a lot smaller than 5 million. But I have zero data to back that up and I doubt there's much accurate data as to the number of active collectors in the US. My guess is a million or two "casual" collectors and maybe a quarter million "serious" collectors. Add in people who will save a stamp or a sheet from the post office once in awhile and I could see 5 million collectors. But that's just a guess.

I think that "true collectors' (not the Batman or Elvis "keepsake" collectors) that are philatelists and/or postal historians or specialized collectors are no where near that 5 Million mark but I hope I'm mistaken! The more the merrier!

Five million is only about 1.5% of the total population, so it seems very possible. And "true" collectors are anyone who actively collects, even if it is only selective new issues.

Anything USPS states on the subject is 100% INNACURATE
and absent of any true data, as they DO NOT have any
real interest in the estimated number... it's nothing
but sales hype on their part...

Bill - they periodically conduct surveys (flawed in my opinion) and use that to make an estimate. They include what we term casual colectors, so a bearded lady who saved a Circus pane would be counted.

Possible is a long way from likely. There are barely 30,000 members of APS (and not all of those are in the US). Even at 10 non-APS collectors for every one that joins APS, that just gets us to 300,000. That might be a realistic estimate for the number of "serious" collectors. I just don't see how to get to 5,000,000 as a reasonable estimate of those who would self-identify as "stamp collectors."

I know a lot of collectors who are not APS members, myself included. It might just as easily be 20 to 1, or 30 to 1. And "serious" is not the same as "stamp collector". There is no way to know how many people collect topically using the post office and ebay who never go to shows, don't write on chatboards, and don't join clubs.

That gets me to thinking, wouldn't it be great to get a look at ebay's stamp sales numbers? Of course, the top line sales number would be the most interesting, but it would also be fascinating to see the number of unique ID's that purchased stamps, their locations, average selling price, return rates, you name it. There's more information in their hands about the state of the stamp hobby than anywhere else. It's too bad they can't share some of that, but I understand the need to guard proprietary information.

When you really think about it, they probably have in their hands a very good snapshot of every aspect of the mainstream stamp market. How many collectors there are. Which part of the country has the most collectors of Belgian railway stamps. Price trends on early Swiss semi-postals. Average selling price in Britain for stamps of the French Colonies. Ad infinitum. We're all sitting here speculating, with any one person or organization having but bits and pieces of the puzzle, but ebay has almost the entire picture. The rarities market is largely public, since they're usually sold at auction, but the mainstream market big picture is largely a mystery, except to ebay, and they're not sharing.

I collect stamps from worldwide kiloware and some of them happen to be USA stamps so I too collect USA stamps. Seriously, I do.

Other than that though, the young boy in the picture collects too, and has fun at it, it sure looks like it.

Collectors collect. No matter whether it is toy cars, houses, antiques, money or stamps.

Everyone collects something I think. Or keeps something treasured.


Five million seems a tad low to my humble opinion. Most people ask about the money to do with stamp collecting and miss out on the realisation of how pleasureable it can be to have a quiet hour or two at stamps, whether you just enjoy the great art or pictures or birds or horses or varieties of stamps or mint or used or envelopes or soaking and sorting, hoping for an amazing find.

It turns out that the amazing find is sometimes the appreciation of your own work and other's contributions to the world, of stamps and collectors and people and life.

A wandering collector.

edit: typos.

Probably I have to agree with disi. USPS service do not have any interest to know how many collects if it at all they are correct than why USPS dismantle Philatelic Windows from many Post offices.
Recently learned that I am in soup for single Mint stamp.
I was collecting via membership program. My Recent illness and visits
to INDIA. Now I can have other subscription Items but not singles.
Please Do not tell me to tear apart sheet and make one available for
completion of set.
Glad I completed 1972 to 2012..
tikithindi

One of the problems with the hobby is they "we" collectors seem to look down our nose at "those" collectors who only have a few stamps in a drawer somewhere.

Didn't we all start out that way ??

Very few of us started full blown with albums, tongs and watermark fluid.

I'm just as guilty as the next guy.

Sounds like a lot of stamp collectors to me... but maybe...remember, they are speaking of stamp collectors, not philatelist.

What flavour stamp collector is that?

A decade or so back, Linn's conducted a stamp collecting survey and published the results graphically shown as a target. The two inner rings of the target were "serious" collectors, probably like those of us who populate this forum and others like it.

I don't remember the numbers, but the outer rings numbers were large but consisted of those who save stamps in desk drawers, shoe boxes, and envelopes. The inner rings numbered in the hundreds of thousands only, but were the ones who used albums, subscribed to philatelic periodicals, bought and used catalogs, joined collector-related organizations, bought stamps systematically, and attended stamp shows. I am, by the way, continually surprised by the number of people who try to collect without the aid of a catalog!

Can't be too many on the inner circles. I would guess less than one million, but apparently enough to keep dealers in business and forums like this going.

Don